Main navigation

Announcing Peel and Stick Wallpaper + A Bookshelf Makeover

August 12, 2014

Today, we're thrilled to announce the launch of a our new Peel and Stick Wallpaper, Woven. It’s an opaque white, 100% polyester fabric with an adhesive backing. Available by the linear foot, it is removable and repositionable, making it great for covering walls and a wide array of craft and decorating projects. Peel and Stick is easy to cut, customize, and install onto any smooth surface, making it perfect for accent walls, cut and stick decals, and quick decor updates. And, the material is eco-friendly—formaldehyde-, phthalate-,and PVC-free—making it ideal for nurseries and kid’s rooms.

Spoonflower partner Allison made quick work of transforming her living room built in bookshelves with the new Peel and Stick Wallpaper. Read about her project and get tips working with the new woven wallpaper for your own DIYs!

Allison: Transforming my living space is such a rush for me. I love the creative expression that it provides, so I am always on the hunt for my next project. After reading the July 2013 issue of Dwell that featured Orla Kiely’s home, I felt inspired to add a little more pattern and texture to my living room. I wanted to find a way to bring pattern to my wood surfaces that did not require water or paste and was eco-friendly. With the launch of Spoonflower’s Peel and Stick Woven wallpaper, I finally found my vehicle.

A few years ago, I painted our great room Gauntlet Gray from Sherwin-Williams. It’s the perfect backdrop for all of my colorful accessories.

After a while, our white built-in bookcases started to feel a bit dull. With Orla Kiely's home in mind, I went on a hunt to find a design at Spoonflower that would add texture and depth to this bookshelf space. After trying a few swatches, I settled on Featherland Gray by Leanne for its small scale pattern and color, which is a nice match with the wall color.

I measured my space (which is 64” tall) and used the Spoonflower Custom Wall Calculator to determine that I needed to round up and order two 6 ft rolls. After getting all of my materials together (a ruler, measuring tape, a cutting mat, an X-Acto knife and a squeegee), I invited my friend and colleague Kate over to join in on the installation fun. We started by prepping the space which included emptying and removing the shelves and taking off the faceplate of the speaker outlet inside my bookcase. Next, we laid the material out on the floor and trimmed the bottom of the rolls about five inches so we had less material to cut off the bottom during installation. With the cuts complete, we prepped the paper for hanging by peeling and folding the backing down about five inches.

Starting in the top left corner, Kate worked to get the first Woven piece aligned and hanging straight. I stood a few feet back and gave her the thumbs up once the paper was level. The paper is very easy to reposition so we weren’t worried that it took a couple of attempts and a bit of finagling to get it just right.

We had to contend with the speaker outlet shortly after getting the paper into position. Kate pulled the paper down over the speaker outlet and, using gentle pressure, cut around the protruding elements of the outlet using the X-Acto knife. To ensure we did not cut a wider hole than necessary, our first cuts were conservatively small and we slowly widened the area until we had cut out just enough that the paper laid flat against the back of the bookshelf. With the outlet in the clear, Kate slowly pulled the backing away from the paper, smoothing out bubbles and wrinkles as she went.One panel down, one to go! We measured the width of the remaining white space inside the bookshelf and returned to our remaining Woven strip to cut off some of the excess material in width. You can skip this step, but we found that it was easier to have less excess material to work with, especially when you are trying to smooth the paper into corners.

It’s a good idea to make all of your cuts like this on the conservative side so you don’t wind up cutting off too much paper. With the second strip ready to go, Kate took a moment to analyze the repeat and see how and where the design was going to line up before peeling back the backing. We aligned the material carefully and smoothed it onto the wall as we peeled away the backing. Once all of the paper was installed and smoothed, we trimmed the excess from the corners, top and bottom.

I didn’t want a bright white faceplate to stand out on this newly patterned bookcase so I used the excess material we had left over to cover it.

And now for the really fun part—dressing the new space! I really love how it turned out and I am already ruminating about additional ways to incorporate Spoonflower’s Woven wallpaper in our home.

Allison is a color-obsessed, neat freak, fashion junkie, puzzle-loving mom to three little men, and a Spoonflower partner.